Brewers history: Milwaukee makes late-offseason splash for defensive wizard

Over the last decade, the Milwaukee Brewers have become impossibly good at finding two things in various players: defense and value.

So, when the Crew inked Jackie Bradley Jr. to a two-year, $24 million deal five years ago, there were plenty of reasons to be excited. He fit their profile as a Gold Glover with some untapped potential at the plate, offering Craig Counsell yet another sterling defender to deploy in the outfield.

And, at the time, he was a strong fit with the roster. Christian Yelich was still playing left field while Avisaíl García was expected to man right, leaving center field to Lorenzo Cain. However, after playing just five games in 2020 before opting out of the pandemic-shortened season, Cain was struggling with injuries in camp and diminished effectiveness as he prepared for his age-35 campaign.

Thus, Bradley entered the fray, with lots of hype and hope as a genuine marquee free agent. Unfortunately, he ultimately fell short of every expectation in Milwaukee.

Jackie Bradley Jr.'s tenure with Brewers wasn't designed to last

Part of the issue with Bradley was that he was entirely unreliable at the plate. He was an All-Star in 2016 and blasted 26 home runs with a 118 wRC+, then failed to post league-average offensive stats in each of the next three seasons. He thrived in the small sample environment of 2020 (118 wRC+ again) and had shown enough power and speed in previous years to support his outstanding glove.

Then, he arrived in Milwaukee and completely fell apart. He was so bad at the plate (36 wRC+, .497 OPS) that not even his elite defense could save his overall value (-1.8 fWAR). It was such a poor effort that the Brewers traded him back to the Boston Red Sox after just one season in exchange for Hunter Renfroe. Ironically, the Crew sent David Hamilton away in that deal — the same David Hamilton who they just reacquired in the Kyle Harrison trade.

Bradley didn't last much longer in the majors after that, retiring after a difficult 2023 season with the Kansas City Royals. Though his MLB career may be over, he is still plying his trade on the diamond, joining the Indianapolis Clowns of the Banana Ball League as the first-ever first overall draft pick in league history.

So, what can we learn from JBJ's tenure in Milwaukee? For one thing, it's clear that spending money on free agents doesn't always equate to actual production. Even as a defense-first player, Bradley couldn't hack it with the Brewers.

Nevertheless, his signing — which preceded a division title in 2021 — was an exciting moment for the franchise so deep into the offseason. Perhaps the front office has another similar gambit up their sleeves in 2026?